A Florida man is suing Starbucks, alleging that his "exceedingly hot" coffee led to second-degree burns, according to the South Florida Reporter. Christopher Romano also claims that the barista "failed to confirm [Romano's] hold of the cup" when passing him the drink, causing the spill and injury to his groin. Romano is seeking $15,000 in damages, according to the report, saying that the coffee was so scalding "that it was dangerous and unfit for human consumption."
Starbucks responded to the lawsuit with a statement to the paper saying, "We are aware of the filing of the lawsuit and are investigating the plaintiff's claims. While we are very sorry to hear of Mr. Romano's reported injuries, we are unable to comment on active litigation matters."
Of course, Romano isn't the first to sue over a hot drink:
- In November, a Starbucks customer sued the chain for $132,000 after she was served water that she alleges was "far too hot for a person to drink," according to Oregon Live.
- In September, a New Jersey woman was awarded $522,000 in a settlement with Dunkin' Donuts after tripping on a metal spike in the parking lot and spilling coffee that was so hot that it left burns, her attorney told CNBC.
- And the hot coffee lawsuit that started it all: in 1994, a New Mexico woman was awarded $2.9 million after burning herself with McDonald's coffee, according to the Wall Street Journal. ABC News later called that case "the poster child of excessive lawsuits."
The latter inspired the famous Seinfeld episode in which Kramer sues Java World. That's where we learned to never, ever settle for unlimited free coffee.
[youtube ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMHsojpGV5o&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]
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